Putting the 'social' into social media. Sorta kinda.

Thursday, 31 March 2005

My buddy Wayne and his partner Buck arrive tomorrow night for a weekend stay. I have a gajillion things to do that all involve cleaning in some shape or form.

I am procrastinating. As usual. Procrastinated by working late. Procrastinated by coming home from work first rather than going to Crown Liquor to replenish the Vodka supply. Once home, do you think I cleaned? Do you? HA!

To be fair, DID clean out the fridge since trash day is tomorrow. Also watched a bit of Anderson Cooper, had a handful of Dorito's and we can't forget blogging, now can we?

Just back from the grocery store...and what in hell is up with Crown Liquors closing before 9? Don't people buy liquor in FL after 9 pm? WTF? So one more thing to add to my To-Do List for tomorrow.

Halfway finished with laundry....that Wayne and Buck don't need to use so heaven knows why I did laundry...oh wait...clean undies...that's why! Their guest room has been ready since last week, with fresh linens on the bed, fresh towels laid out, and plenty of wooden hangers await their clothes.

The majority of what needs to be done is vacuuming and Swiffering...both the downstairs kitchen, bath, hallway (first impressions, you know!!) as well as the upstairs bath, hallway and loft area...and the stairwell....can't forget the stairwell.

Uh oh, just remembered I wanted to wash my truck on my lunch hour...but ran other errands instead. Eek...wil do it after work tomorrow night right before I leave for the airport. Yep, first impressions...again.

I love having guests...I honestly do. I want them to be comfortable, happy guests that will want to return again and again. So thanks for letting me vent...procrastinate...whatever. Now I have dinner to eat and then work to do.

And being the Team Player that I am, I snagged a Pallet o' Peeps after work and brought them into work today.

Let the fun commence.

At first we had visions of Peep Wars in our heads...well, in my head actually cause he had never heard of Peep wars (where you stick your Peeps into the microwave, have them face each other with toothpicks jammed in their chests, turn the microwave on and watch the Peeps joust as they grow...then explode all over the innards of your microwave...oh yeah, fun times!) so I educated him.

Took a picture of the Peep package and attached the picture to an email that I distributed to the rest of our team, inviting them to partake in our Peepalicious goodness...so sad for them, they didn't bite! (haha, bite....get it??)

Not content with that, I created an email that I sent to oh, about 10 clients that have never met me before, and in the subject line I wrote ' how would you like to see what I look like and oh, by the way I'm wearing purple'...just to see what their response would be.

The ones that responded thought it was funny. Got some smart-ass comments back as well, but overall it made them laugh...always a good thing...and they think I'm wacked...what else is new? If you can't laugh at yourself, you're in trouble.

Normally my day is not so giddy and goofy, but every now and then ya just gotta go with what happens and enjoy it.

Tuesday, 29 March 2005

Monday, 28 March 2005

A long time ago...back in 1997 when I first moved to FL..I decided to list on paper the things that were truly important to me. They were :

* Being debt-free* Having enough $ at the end of each payday to... 1. Have a full tank of gas 2. Put $ into savings & investments 3. Give to charity or family or friends that needed help 4. Order pizza 5. Be content & happy

I have all that in my life. Also have my health (skin cancer is under control), my industry is picking up, and my friends...I have the most wonderful, coolest, lovingest friends in the world.

I'm not into material stuff all that much. But the stuff you can't put a price tag on?? It means the world to me.

Friday, 25 March 2005

Thursday, 24 March 2005

One of my buddies gifted me with tshirts he no longer wears. Since one of them was particularly cozy, decided to wear it to bed last night. Normally I'm not a pj/jammie/t-shirt type of person - if ya get my drift- but thought 'oh, what the hell, give it a try'.

Woke up around 2 am burning up...so much for the t-shirt idea...and for some reason I started thinking about work issues that have been on my mind. The more I thought, the more worked up I got, and before I knew it I was still wide awake at 4:45 and PISSED. Urg.

Long story short, I was a zombie all day and am falling asleep as I type this. So NNSD from here and please cross your fingers that tonite won't be another hot and bothered night.

Wednesday, 23 March 2005

Last year the title of my first post (almost to the exact minute) was 'I'd Like To Thank The Academy'. The same sentiment holds true for tonite.

Thanks to everyone for reading, commenting, and most of all, for writing the coolest blogs in the blogosphere. I would be lost without the bloggers I link to....I truly learn so much from you guys and look forward to reading what you have to say waaaay too many times a day. Have only met Jillian (before she became a blogger)...the rest of you, next time you visit South Florida, first round of drinks is on me. And if NTodd and Stef ever bring Cairo to visit, only the best of doggie bones will be at her disposal.

One of my buddies Chris usually starts his emails with that phrase...I like it!

Just a quick hi and bye then out the door.

Had a CatScan Angiogram today. While not fun and thrilling, not entirely bad. Good thing I get to pick the brains of my clients who do stuff like this for a living so I'll be totally prepared....one of my ongoing quests...to be 100% prepared and be the model patient. And I was told I was the model patient today...yay me!

Reason for today's procedure...a false-positive diagnosis of cardiac blockage from the Thallium Stress Test that I took on my Fun Day O' Medical Tests earlier this month. So we'll see what happens. I just want to be able to work out or run up stairs or sit at my desk without my heart racing, shortness of breath and passing out...is that too much to ask? :-)

My stomach is still outta sorts from taking a ton of pills on an empty stomach prior to my test, and right now a hot bowl of homemade chicken noodle soup sounds delish...so off to Panera then on to Best Buy to drool over CD's that I can buy with my BB voucher. Yet another action guaranteed to get my heart racing...new CD's...YUM!!!

Work was sheer hell today. SO many situtations with clients that were beyond my control which resulted in problem after problem. Could not wait to get out of there, which I finally did around 6:40.

All I could think about on the drive home was changing into comfy clothes, putting on my baseball cap, and cleaning my Master Bathroom from top to bottom.

Whenever I am stressed or pissed or have a lot on my mind, cleaning is my escape.

Started with washing the bath rugs, washing the floor, reswiffering it, disinfected the toilet (as good as I could...after all, it is a toilet!), cleaned the mirrors, the countertop, the baseboards and the only thing left to do is clean the shower and yucky shower doors with my home-made water and vinegar solution. While it will smell gross and vinegary, it will look really good.

Right now, taking a break to blog and return emails. Most of my frustration over the day has vanished. And I sure feel better than if I would have sat around vegging in front of the tube or surfing blogs.

Orderliness results were high which suggests you are overly organized, reliable, neat, and hard working at the expense too often of flexibility, efficiency, spontaneity, and fun.

Extraversion results were high which suggests you are overly talkative, outgoing, sociable and interacting at the expense too often of developing your own individual interests and internally based identity.

Back in the day when I had a landline, I bought a way spiff V-Tech cordless with 2 extensions....and the extended warranty that the little voice in my head told me to buy. Normally I don't buy extended warranties. Normally I DO listen to the little voice. So, ok, whatever, I bought the phone and the warranty.

31 days after buying the phone, it died. For no reason. So I figured I'd go to Best Buy later that week to turn it in. Long story mercifully short, wound up sending the phone back to Best Buy Extended Warranty Land cause thanks to the little voice telling me to buy the extended warranty, it turned out that was the only way to get my money back. Why? Because Best Buy, cheap bastards that they are, WOULD NOT REFUND MY MONEY because it was past 30 days. Even with the receipt. Even with the original packaging.

So now I have a Best Buy voucher for close to $200. And I want to spend it all on CD's. IN THE WORST WAY. THE.WORST.WAY.

My buddy Howard suggested I think of an appliance I could use for my house. Nope, nothing that I needed or really wanted. My buddy Mike suggested I get something iPod related. Nope, nothing that I needed or wanted. And the Nikon D70 that I'm lusting after these days is waaay more than $200.

'Is it a want or a need' is a mantra I developed when I was going thru the 'trying to get debt-free' stage of my life. Been there twice...mission accomplished twice [not counting my mortgage]. And I just can't get that mantra out of my head.

When it comes to music, it's a NEED. And a want, to be sure, but still very much a need. Right up there with oxygen, water, wireless internet, killer sunsets and good hair days...I NEED MUSIC IN MY LIFE! It's my drug of choice that makes me so incredibly happy...and it's totally legal!

So I'm gonna get some new CD's.

Any and all suggestions welcome. My tastes are pretty much Alternative and Rock.

Thursday, 17 March 2005

Bush has squandered four years in which he COULD have been making inroads on alternative energy solutions. He could have been promoting tax cuts for emerging technologies that focus on alternative energy. He could have followed the lead of Jimmy Carter who made Daylight Savings time mandatory for two years, which resulted in more daylight hours and saved fuel. Bush could have made utilization of solar power a priority in states like FL and CA who have more than their share of sunlight. Bush could have taken so many forward-thinking, pro-active steps to reduce our dependance on foreign oil.

But he didn't. And he won't. We have proof.

Clear Skies...that aren't. No Child Left Behind...yeah, right. War in Iraq Don't even get me started.

So while there are still polar bears and penguins and all sorts of winter beauty in AK, you might want to think about visiting soon.

One of the coolest things about being involved in grassroots politics is...well...being involved in grassroots politics!

Even tho it's approaching close to a year that I got involved with Team Stork, the benefits of knowing the Stork staffers and volunteers continue to this day.

Steve, one of LSU's finest and a former Stork staffer, hooked me up with Justin, who's dually involved with some really cool groups that #1 really interest me and #2 really need our help...especially if you live in FL or know people who live in FL.

There's a new LINK on my sidebar that explains what Justin's current focus is all about...a subject near and dear to my heart.

For someone (Justin, not me!) that just discovered what a blog is only last week, I want to make his initiation into the power of the blog a pleasant one.

Wednesday, 16 March 2005

Screw all that namby-pamby chick stuff, you're going straight for the
bottle and a shot glass! It'll take more than a few shots of Wild
Turkey or 99 Bananas before you start seeing pink elephants. You know
how to handle your alcohol, and yourself at parties.

My test tracked 4 variables How you compared to other people your age and gender:

Bruce and Simon return to CA tomorrow. We've been on the go all weekend....Saturday in Ft. Lauderdale, doing the Las Olas 'thing', Carrie B cruise, dining 'al sidewalk' on Las Olas, met up with Paul and Eric for quick drinks at Hamburger Mary's and ended the day with the obligatory weekend stop at Target.

Today was more laidback...the guys focused on naps and I focused on laundry. Late afternoon lunch at Panera Bread in Delray followed by one last A1A ride from Delray to Gulfstream then back and a quick stop at Target for petunias, potting soil and impatiens.

Bruce, being the expert landscaper that he is, beautified my front porch in a matter of minutes. Maybe he'll have better luck at getting whatever I plant to last longer than 3 weeks before dying.

Once the porch was finished and the oohing and aahing was over, we headed out for one last Cheesecake Factory run for dessert.

Bruce and Simon are already in snoozeland and as soon as I make my bed (every Sunday is bed linen laundry day, dontcha know??) I'll be in snoozeland too.

Saturday, 12 March 2005

Friday, 11 March 2005

Today was yet another wonderful vacation day. Started it by sleeping in late...something I would and could win a Gold Medal for if Sleeping in Late was an Olympic Event.

My buddy Bruce and his boyfriend Simon are visiting from CA, so first on the agenda was lunch, followed by a surprise for both of them...haircuts! Last time Bruce was here, I did a whole 'Straight Eye for the Queer Guy' makeover on him. He loved the haircut I convinced him to get last year, and today's cut was a repeat of the one from last year. I got a hair cut as well...and am now minus four and a half inches. See???

After haircuts, we cruised over to Atlantic Ave in Delray Beach to people-watch and window-shop. Here we are in Pineapple Grove. [Edit: Little, we ARE here!. Bruce and Simon prefer not to be on the internet. And I'm taking the picture :-) ]

After that, home to change (and I had to get a quick blog fix) then off to West Palm Beach to meet my buddy Tom and head over to City Place. I had taken Bruce and Simon there Monday night and they really wanted an encore visit. No trip to City Place is complete unless you visit Cheesecake Factory. So we did. Boy, did we. Boston Cream Cheesecake...ummm ummm good!

Now it's late and another full day awaits us tomorrow...which is really today. Ft. Lauderdale, here we come. Lucky for Bruce, there is a Cheesecake Factory in Ft. Lauderdale.